West Bromwich Albion will be crying out for a hero to step up to the mark against Preston North End this coming Saturday, needing just one more vital win to finally secure a spot in the Championship playoffs.
Brandon Thomas-Asante could start as the lone striker for Carlos Corberan's promotion-seeking Baggies against Ryan Lowe's men, hoping to fire in the decisive strike that sees the West Midlands outfit battle it out in the playoffs very soon after recently serving a suspension.
There will definitely be one absentee up top for the Baggies, however, when push comes to shove in these potential crunch clashes to follow, with the injury-prone player in question looking to be moved on in the summer whether West Brom go up to the Premier League or remain as a second-tier side.
Daryl Dike's record at West Brom
It's been an extremely frustrating move for Daryl Dike ever since he uprooted from firing in goals in the MLS to join West Brom in 2022, linking back up with his ex-Barnsley manager Valerien Ismael in the process.
Joining mid-way through the 2021/22 season to give the West Midlands side more firepower up top, after netting 11 goals from 19 games during his final few months donning Orlando City colours, Dike would only manage to line up two times in the Championship for his new employers before his first injury setback occurred.
From the two years he's been on the books at the Baggies, the cursed 6 foot 2 attacker has only managed to make 32 appearances with only five games managed this season under Corberan – all of which have come in 2024.
This wretched luck with the American centre-forward makes the initial £7m fee that the Baggies forked out to land Dike look even more like a colossal waste of cash now, even with Dike firing in eight goals when fit including one this January against Aldershot Town in the FA Cup.
West Brom must now consider offloading Dike, with the towering striker's luck with injuries showing no signs of improving as the 23-year-old now finds himself out of action until the end of 2024 after being stretchered off against Ipswich Town in February.
It would be a hard sell for any club trying to take him on, owing to this string of terrible injuries, but the Baggies could still gain some cash back on their dud somehow according to Football Transfers' valuation.
Dike's transfer value in 2024
Dike's transfer valuation still comes in at a respectable £2m, according to the site, – a drop off £5m – despite the lofty centre-forward being missing for most of this season for Corberan's men.
That means the 23-year-old is remarkably valued higher than other first-team assets who play week-in-week out such as Grady Diangana and Alex Mowatt, who are both worth just £1.7m and £1.3m respectively all whilst still amassing 80 appearances this season between them.
In an ideal world, therefore, the second-tier side would be able to sell Dike at near to this valuation, but his sketchy track record in the treatment room at the Hawthorns will no doubt put off any suitors despite the American's prolific nature in front of goal when fit.
Dike also comes in as being the second highest earner on the wage bill at the Championship club currently too, earning a staggering £32.3k-per-week which is more than double that of experienced first-teamer Conor Townsend's salary at £11.5k-per-week.
Therefore, an awkward conversation could soon have to be had to terminate Dike's contract before more needless money is unnecessarily chucked away.
As Football League World's fan pundit Matt Smith has stated, moving the marksman on would be "the wise thing to do at a club where every penny matters at the moment…"
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